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Just NB

Thanks for visiting! This blog began in 2009 to keep in touch with family/friends while I worked in Madagascar, finally repatriating in 2014. Would you believe me if I told you that my Canadian life has been crazier than that of the jungle life? Going into the 5th year in Canada, and Africa is calling me again. Who knows what will happen.

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Just going to take a shower. Things I see: the dark. Things I hear: the noise from the bar, crickets, a small land animal like a squirrel that I can’t remember the name of, a few other animal noises not belonging to something like a lion or other huge animal. Things I will see on my way or in the shower: small snakes, spiders - of all types and sorts, and possibly another camper. The only thing that bothers me in this situation? How uncomfortable my little camping mattress is. Oh, and the fact that whoever camps next to me will most definitely hear me sleep talk. March 20th, 8:41AM Came back. No spiders seen. So snakes. And I believe I had my first night’s sleep, after a lot of praying. It’s easy to get caught up in the school yard here. People of all ages and more boys than girls...the popular crowd...the quiet crowd...was I getting caught up in that? Was I focusing on what I came here for? A bit of both. Next time someone is in the pool and I want to join, I’ll join. If not, I’ll stay s…

Don’t have a clue. If you would have asked me last night, the answer would have been a hard no. Overheated, a bit dehydrated (the day before, in two hours, I drank six cans of soda water and never once had to go to the toilet & that’s on top of drinking litres of water a day). Everyone remarks that I sleep talk and my back aches as I sleep. I’m always the last one to be ready, the one to eat the least (don’t worry, I’m eating enough), and the first one to bed because I am exhausted. It’s catching up with me. I knew this trip would be hard, and I’m rewarded with amazing and breathtaking sights and experiences, like the hundreds of elephants I saw up close yesterday, and the happy and friendly energy of the group (thank God), but I have to try to stay positive in the evenings, because if I had the choice, I would come home to camp and sleep.

One thing on my list to do is have my big bag packed 100%, zipped, and ready to go the night before. I had committed …

“It is a blessed day for a visit for to the falls.” Says one of the countless locals, selling tours, trips, souvenirs, or simply asking to escort me to wherever. “Yes it is. Thank you, have a nice day, goodbye.” Had to throw my line in there cause buddy wasn’t gonna take the hint. I had indulged in a little conversation, I must have had my guard down, because usually, the, “Thank you, have a nice day, goodbye.” line is thrown out in under ten seconds. “Goodbye, Sister.”. I started walking the fifteen minutes in the sun in the +34*C heat, ready to call it quits, forcing myself to go, despite my burning feet, my overheating body, my lack of desire to go since I had seen it from the other side years before, but I kept on. I got to the entry gate, realizing I forgot my passport, remembering our guide told us to have it with us when we went to Victoria Falls, secretly hoping to be turned away and go home in a taxi and go back and hop in the pool and maybe lay on one of th…

I’m worried I’m not going to make it through the final trip. I have heat rash on my feet, I find it nearly impossible to sleep in the ground, and I’m older than all of the travellers (which I knew going into the trip). I feel old, in pain (hip), and just ugly. I’m too hot, I can’t get hydrated enough. I felt so well at Victoria falls...and after this “booze cruise”, where I don’t drink...I just feel like the ugly girl on the side. I don’t need alcohol to have fun, but tonight I just couldn’t mingle as I wanted to.

And I have to stop worrying about what people back home think of me, this trip, or my life. I worry so much about what the people I love think....I need to stop. Either they support me or they don’t. And if they don’t, then that’s sad, but out of my control. I need sleep. Water. & a little reprieve from the heat. Oh, and confidence. I need a big handful of that.

Alright, so I've spent two nights in Zimbabwe and it's been veryyyy nice. Granted, I slept a lot, but this hotel or safari lodge or whatever it's meant to be called has been quite nice, despite the fact that I argued with them that I had already paid for the room (I had not. And still they were kind until I told them last night that I was wrong, and had indeed had not. Travel agent mishap.)
I'm sure that other areas in ZB (can we just call it ZB from now on) are much more dangerous and beat up than this little town, but Victoria Falls is quite nice. I can walk into town during the day. If I wasn't alone, I'm sure I could walk into town for supper. My safari lodge/hotel/campsite has a little pool, bar, restaurant, and curio shop, and I just love the atmosphere. I haven't been on the "tenting site" of things, and I suspect it's like flying Business Class one flight and then flying Economy the next flight...but hey, I'm here for the camping.
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*Written March 13th, 13h00* Currently en route to Johannesburg via Amsterdam. Amsterdam was a rude reminder of some of the different stages that I can go through during long distance travel. This morning I experienced “Hooker Tired”. Pardon the profanity….but, well, it’s simply self-explanatory. I will literally do anything to sleep in a bed and to have a shower.

My flight to Minneapolis was so cold that my feet were numb upon arrival. My flight to Amsterdam was a little big better, but I forgot that my body temperature drops 5 or 10*C on a plane and I even though I was prepared with warm clothes (and had purchased a sweatshirt in the Minneapolis airport), again, I was simply too cold to sleep. No problem, I figured. I just have three hours and fifty minutes and then I’ll be only my plane and I’ll sleep in the warmth on my way to Joberg. WRONG. Flight delayed at least another two hours. So Hooker Tired Nicole kicks. I started looking for affordable options. I need sleep. But at that poi…